getting Ready for Sale

Chalks Golden Rules for Selling!

If you’re thinking of selling your property, you need to follow my golden rules before you even think about listing your home with a Real Estate agent! 

Think and plan ahead– think about who might buy your home – make sure you appeal to the right buyer – your home needs to cater to their needs, if that means packing up the sewing room and turning it into a nursery, then that’s what you do to maximise your sale price – be realistic and most importantly, be honest with yourself. Its hard work getting a house ready for sale – Lets face it anything worthwhile usually takes time and effort.

Start right at the beginning - look at your home with new eyes, clear ALL clutter, box up whatever you do not need, this includes all personal objects, photos and memorabilia, nobody wants to see Collingwood winning their last Grand Final or an enlarged photo of you and your partner above the main bed!!!!! Order that skip you have been talking about for months and start clearing!

Clean windows, inside and out – include fly screens, purchase a new welcoming doormat and don’t forget the humble letterbox, all to often I see neglected letterboxes covered in webs and with no street number, or no letterboxes at all. It’s your first introduction to potential buyers – it sets the tone for what they are about to see– make sure its looks the part!

Clean, clean, clean, and then clean again - don’t forget to look up, behind and under furniture – cobwebs, dust, dirty hand prints – they all have to go. Repaint if you need to, peach walls or suede effects paints and the like need to go – this is business and you need to appeal to as many buyers as possible, personal taste needs to be put aside! White walls or off white works best. New carpet will do amazing things to a house – it doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to look good!

Natural Light is key – pull the blinds back or lift them up as high as they will go – let your windows do the talking, heavy drapes weigh down a room – I often ask clients to remove window dressings all together for sale purposes, especially in living areas – there is nothing better than looking out clean fresh windows, just make sure what you are looking out to is worth looking at!

New Linen – new bedlinen in the main bedroom will speak wonders for your campaign – invest in white linen and a quilted valance (trust me!)Layer your bed with colour and texture and match your towels back. New pillows will give you that magazine look – it’s so important not to sleep on the linen or the pillows during the campaign – use your old set and keep changing it over – believe me it will be worth the short term inconvenience!

Lastly Dress the House – give each room a wow factor – I love to use artwork and key pieces of furniture to create interest. The buyer needs to remember your house – they need to make a connection with your space! Believe me, you do not want to blend, you want to give them something to remember.  Make sure your house stands out for all the right reasons!